Patients at Rohtak PGIMS must wait for hours due to a staffing deficit

Due to a severe staffing deficit, patients and their companions at the PGIMS in Rohtak need to wait for extended periods of time in order to complete the required investigations and have their registration cards created.

Despite their deteriorating condition, the unfortunate patients—who include women and the elderly—have no choice but to wait for their turn among tumultuous situations.

More than 40% of the approved positions for non-teaching staff at the PGIMS, according to sources, were empty.

On a recent visit to the PGIMS OPDs, large crowds and chaotic events were seen; patients and their attendants were fighting with other patients/attendants or staff members stationed there.

Some patients were seen waiting in lines while seated on the ground because they were unable to stand.

We are taking turns waiting in line to receive the OPD card, and we have been waiting for nearly three hours. Akshat, who had brought his grandpa for treatment, stated, “There is only one employee at the counter, and nearly 100 patients are waiting in the queue.”

An elderly patient named Dayanand, who could hardly stand, bemoaned his almost two-hour wait at an OPD counter for a simple stamp on his card.

Sushila, who arrived for her husband’s treatment, said that the disorderly crowds at the OPDs are inconvenient and harassing, particularly for female guests.

“At the PGIMS OPDs, there’s a warlike atmosphere, and receiving treatment means battling on multiple fronts,” the speaker said.

A number of additional patients had similar opinions.

Ravi Sangwan, the head of the PGIMS Non-Teaching Employees Association, said that “heated arguments among patients, attendants, and employees at OPDs are common due to the shortage of staff at the institute.”

He noted that, given the current circumstances, the organization had been pleading with the relevant authorities as well as the state government to fill open positions, but to no effect.

PGIMS Joint Director Monika said that the state government had been informed of the need for workers and that new hires will likely be made after the model code of conduct’s release.

“Any crisis that arises at the OPD of any department will be investigated and handled,” the spokesperson said.